Rillie unleashes from downtown to sink Cats

The Townsville Crocodiles are through to the Australian National Basketball League semi finals after beating the Perth Wildcats 103-96 in a heated clash in Perth.

A stunning 34-point haul from John Rillie and Corey Williams' second-half heroics inspired Townsville, with Rillie's astonishing 10-of-17 from long range unstoppable in the first half.

But the Cats, inspired by Shawn Redhage's 22 points and Alex Loughton's 19, hit back with a vengeance, snatching the lead midway through the last quarter before Rillie and Williams, with 28 points, combining to rescue Townsville from disaster.

The Crocs' win propels them into a best-of-three semi-finals series against the table-topping South Dragons, while Perth, who started the season as second favourites for the Championship behind Melbourne, have been left to ponder how a season that promised so much went so wrong.